I respectfully disagree. In the long run, parents have a bigger influence on their children than anything else, even if it doesn't always appear that way.

Even the best parents can not guarantee that their children will always make the right choices. All we can do is be honest with them about the world, and teach them the best we can.

We set the rules. We start them off.

No, I can't protect my daughter from everything, especially now she's a teen, but I know I gave her my values and I see she uses them.

I've seen the opposite: parents who are not consistent and do not instil values for various reasons (some just want to be their kids' friend instead of parent and give in so there are fewer conflicts).

If it's not a happy meal, it'll be some other 'thing'.

I think we should outlaw everything I think we should outlaw. Then we should outlaw everyone whining about it.

I'll get to outlawing cereal and McDonald's one day, but only after I've outlawed 60s and 70s style clothes and legislated that only classic styles of clothing be sold because that is what I look good in.

But the first thing I'm outlawing is the word No since people have such a devil of a time with it.

Bwhahaha. I'd also appreicate it if you would outlaw working, because I dont like it. My job is just not healthy for my state of mind. Please???

How much does the health-minded Liverpudlian pay for the poor dietary choices of his fellow townsfolk? Your freedom to choose what food your children eat ends where my freedom not to pay for your mistakes begins.

Is there anything else you'd like to do that's going to cost me money? If so, I'll prepare to discuss the matter with my elected officials.

Because there is only so much money to go around, I'd like it to be spent on health rather than your freedom to charge me for your illness. Kids are fat and parents are broke and fat, and it is time to do them a favor instead of McDonalds. Pretty small favor, admittedly, but we'll take it.

Someday, in a world of limited resources, we must come to understand that the only humane public policy is that we mutually agree to coerce those who believe that the money is endless. Someday we will recognize real freedoms, instead of the cheap freedoms touted in defense of McDonalds.

Should children be fat and sick because of their parents' bad food choices? If that's your idea of freedom, I'm out.



Owned.

I want to outlaw bad grammar.

I don't patronize them, and I don't want them communicating anything directly to my children. It's a chicken and the egg point, McDonalds made the Happy Meal successful, through deplorable marketing and the insidious toy bribe, it's an immensely profitable investment for them. McDonalds will do whatever is most profitable, that's what corporations do. Heroin dealers would "voluntarily give up" selling Heroin too, if Heroin wasn't a good seller; how does profit justify it?



I disagree, I think it tells children a very important health message. It says, loudly and clearly, "This food is not good for you." instead of letting McDonalds tell them.. psst hey kid.. you are "loving it!"



No, I think they are finally showing some backbone and standing up to big corporations. Perhaps it will lead to parents all over asserting their right, to stop corporations from speaking directly to the formative minds of children. The lack of backbone displayed in the last 30 or so years is what's pathetic; the complacency, sitting back while giant corporations cranked the carcinogenic colour-flavour wheel and hoodwinked children into begging for garbage non-foods at the behest of cartoon characters with easy to remember jingles.

I'm sick to death of the whole greedy, corrupt chain of unfettered child abuse propagated by big corporations. Pop and candy machines in the schools, the rec centres, the subsidized cafeterias, the never ending commercials and the billboards and product placement, all of it geared to the profits of a greedy few without regards for the health or well being of children. I think it's about time people stopped blaming the parents for everything, and starting standing beside them and facing the real problems.

[side-rant]
I also despise the armchair parents, I bet most parents reading this are as sick of them as I am. You hear them all the time, what they would do and how they would handle things. People who's only practical experience with child rearing was 30 years ago, or those who have yet to have children or never will. They always seem to be the one's with the strongest opinions and make up the majority voice of the "blame the parent"arians. It's like listening to the rich talk about what they would do if they were poor; as clueless and out of touch as it is annoying.[/side-rant]

How about Cadbury Eggs? They are far more evil than McDonald's IMO.

Exactly! I'm not saying the profit justifies it. I'm saying vote with your wallet. A drop in profits gets a company's attention faster than anything else.

Alcohol companies aren't supposed to market to teenagers. Do teenagers still drink?

Heroin dealers aren't allowed to market to anyone. Do people still use heroin? They sure do.

Here is a hypothetical situation (albeit slightly wishful thinking):

Let's say that all the major health institutions flip their dietary recommendations. Now, the schools, nursing homes, hospitals, prisons, etc ALL must provide low carb meals if they are receiving federal funding. All the nutrition guidelines are changed. Americans are now told to eat low carb.

What do you think McDonalds would do then?

Daisymaiz, good point.
I dunno, my 11 year old is beginning to think I'm a freak, as she gets none of the stuff that other kids get "and those kids are fine". As they get older it's getting harder and harder. The Rebellion is upon us. If we withhold too much, it becomes forbidden fruit. I can shut off the TV (which we do), but we can't keep her in a vacuum.

It's easier with my 5 yo. Just eat the meat.

the fight is a deeper one and Mcdonalds and the rest of the food chains dont understand that what they are offering not just to the kids, but to adults as well, is in some cases, just as pwerful as some kind of drug. I can only relate my own teenage experience....sneaking off to the local convenient store to by my "fix" a dr pepper, bag of chips and a candy bar....some of us are very sensitive to what carbs can do, others maybe not so much. For some of us Mcdonalds is a huge threat to our well being in terms of the choices. I dont advocate legistating a ban but I do advocate pressure being put on the companies such as these to take the time to produce real food instead of the crap they are passing off as food. I used to manage a mcdonalds and I can tell you honestly the only good real food there is the water and the meat that is it..the rest is all over processed junk and this includes the bagged vegetables..no telling what kind of chemical preservatives are in the veggies. I think that london is going to drastic measures to make there point...and maybe we in america here are just not that depserate yet....dont know maybe we should be to force the fast food world to make drastic changes

Because his company is advertising through multiple means toward my kid. If he's allowed to make his point, I have to counter it. What's not to get about that? They are establishing a desire which I then have to deal with.


I do teach her to say no, but she's a child. She's 4. I should not have to compete with a junkfood manufacturer.

Don't take this personally, but you aren't asking the right question. Do you think it's okay for them to advertise that it's fun to kick other children in the crotch? I mean, that's the extension of where it goes. They are using public airwaves. We allow them to do that. They have no right--none--to do it. It is a privilege they are granted by the people. I'm not "scared" of their marketing, but I know how powerful it is. It establishes a desire. The question you should ask, is to turn it around: why are they allowed to access children at all? What have they done to justify it? The burden should be on THEM. Not parents. You seem to want to question parenting skills of others, but never what corporate marketers are doing. Why?


Of course. Nobody is saying that the government should force them to stop serving that food or raise our kids. We're saying that they have abused the privilege of advertising to minors.


You're not a five year old. I'm not saying they shouldn't market to you.


Oh, for crying out loud. I do. What is so hard about the notion that it's a burden that they can place on parents without our consent? Again, you seem to think that people are asking the government to shield our kids entirely. No. We are asking that, in a time of obesity epidemic, that it look at these larger causes and make changes that can affect. I can teach my kids to say no, and have. But for God's sakes, McDonald's has no right to teach them to want these things that are terrible for their health.


Complete rubbish. My daughter knew what it was, and that she wanted to go there at two years old, having never been there. She saw clowns on the windows as we drove by. She saw kids at school with the toys. She saw an occasional commercial on television. It's pervasive and an unnecessary exacerbation. She didn't know what it was, but knew she wanted it.


You asked me if I could teach my daughter to say no. I did. Can I teach you that I have not asked anyone to take anyone's choices away?! Nobody said McDonald's should be forced not to sell this or that. Marketing and advertising are a privilege, a regulated one. That's the issue.


It will not solve the issue, but again, who said it would. It's part of a series of changes needed to help curb this epidemic. No one thing is the solution.

I know you're trying not to be offensive, but you are lecturing about something that you apparently have no experience of. It's not offensive, but you don't seem to see past "don't take choices away" when that's not even the debate at all.

I actually think the point is sort of missed by it all.

I grew up on fast food, so that was normal for me. I took my kid to fast food, and it was my primary way of eating, because it was normal for me.

Parents don't feed their kids fast food because they are spineless nor because they don't care about their health, they feed them that because that is what is normal for them, that is what many of them grew up with.

At this point it isn't just about what a kid wants. It's about what the parent wants. You don't think all those kids in the back seat with the happy meals are the only ones eating there, right?

PJ

I never ate fast food as a child and still ended up chubby. Just my 2 cents worth.

We defininantly agree to disagree here; doing all that can be done in some cases is not enuff to out way the power house marketing to kids; I do believe that is some households parents hold the sway; but I am much more cynical as a whole; my interactions through friends and seeing them grow up tells me that most of them bought the ticket sold by genius marketing gurus, most regretfully and unfortuantely some of these freinds are not here to tell there stories.